IQNA

TEHRAN (IQNA) – A court in Saudi Arabia acquitted the Binladin Group of responsibility for the deadly crane collapse in the holy city of Mecca back in 2015.

The group was cleared of charges against it on Monday based
on claims made by its defense group that it was not capable of predicting the
severe storm which caused the crane to fall, Press TV reported.

On September 11, 2015, a huge construction crane collapsed
into Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing more than 100 pilgrims and injuring over 200
others in the lead-up to the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

The company is run by the Bin Laden family, which has close
ties with Saudi Arabia's ruling family. Known as the second largest
construction company in the world after French firm Vinci Construction, the
Jeddah-based conglomerate was founded in 1931 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Laden, the
father of al-Qaeda’s slain leader Osama bin Laden. In the 1990s, Osama bin
Laden was purportedly disowned by the family.

According to the website of the group, it has worked on
numerous important projects in the Kingdom, including al-Faisaliah tower in
central Riyadh, King Abdullah Financial District, several universities, and the
King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.